Dissolving substrate with remaining message

ABSTRACT

Described is a dissolving substrate with a remaining message. The substrate is formed of water-soluble paper such that it dissolves when exposed to water. Notably, printed upon the substrate is an offset printing ink that is water-resistant. Thus, when the substrate dissolves, the message or imagery as printed with the offset printing ink remains and floats upon the water for further use or enjoyment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/864,394, filed on Jun. 20, 2019, the entirety of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus having a message affixedto a dissolving substrate.

(2) Description of Related Art

Paper is traditionally a flexible cellulosic material that is generallyformed to withstand a certain amount of moisture. Such existing paperitems allow for ink to be printed thereon and remain intact upon gettingwet. However, while generally stable, such papers do not provide for theunique affect of disappearing or otherwise dissolving to reveal aprinted message.

Thus, a continuing need exists for a water-soluble substrate thatreveals a message upon dissolving.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus having a message (formedof water-resistant ink) affixed to a dissolving substrate. The substrateis formed of water-soluble paper such that it dissolves when exposed towater. Notably, printed upon the substrate is an offset printing inkthat is water-resistant. Thus, when the substrate dissolves, the messageor imagery as printed with the offset printing ink remains and floatsupon the water for further use or enjoyment.

In another aspect, the dissolving substrate is formed in the shape of atoy item

In yet another aspect, the toy item is shaped like a tea bag thatfurther comprises other toy items contained therein.

Further, the dissolving substrate is a water-soluble paper formed of atleast wood pulp and carboxy methyl cellulose.

In another aspect, the dissolving substrate is a water-soluble paperformed of between 30% and 70% wood pulp and between 30% and 70% carboxymethyl cellulose.

In yet another aspect, the dissolving substrate is a water-soluble paperformed of approximately 50% wood pulp and approximately 50% carboxymethyl cellulose.

In another aspect, the water-resistant ink is formed of carbon black, acoloring pigment, a phenolic resin, one or more oils, and a wax.

Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present inventionalso comprises a method for forming and using the invention describedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspectsof the invention in conjunction with reference to the followingdrawings, where:

FIG. 1A is an illustration depicting a dissolving substrate with awater-resistant ink positioned thereon, depicting an aspect in which thesubstrate is a tea bag;

FIG. 1B is an illustration depicting the water-resistant ink with colorsreversed to illustrate that the color of the water-resistant ink can besimilar to that of the dissolving substrate;

FIG. 2 is an illustration depicting example print sheets for forming thetea bag and upon which the water-resistant ink is printed; and

FIG. 3 is an illustration depicting an example playset that can bepackaged to include a dissolving substrate with water-resistant ink.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus having a message affixedto a dissolving substrate. The following description is presented toenable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventionand to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Variousmodifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applicationswill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generalprinciples defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments.Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to theembodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistentwith the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the presentinvention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limitedto these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in orderto avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which arefiled concurrently with this specification and which are open to publicinspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papersand documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the featuresdisclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims,abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features servingthe same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly statedotherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each featuredisclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent orsimilar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state“means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing aspecific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step”clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. Inparticular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is notintended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom,forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used forconvenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particularfixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locationsand/or directions between various portions of an object.

(1) Description

The present invention relates to an item formed of a dissolvingsubstrate with an image or message attached thereto. The substrate uponwhich the image or message is applied to is made from any dissolvingmaterial, a non-limiting example of which includes a water-solublepaper, such as a cellulosic mixture paper. A non-limiting example ofsuch a cellulosic mixture paper includes paper formed of wood pulp(CAS.65996-61-4) and carboxy methyl cellulose (CAS.9004-32.4), mixed asdesired to form the paper. For example, each of said components can bebetween 0.1 and 99.9% of the material, to collectively form 100%.However, desirably, the wood pulp to carboxy methyl cellulose is between30-70% each of the mixture paper and, more desirably, approximately 50%each. Thus, although not limited thereto, the cellulosic mixture paperis formed of approximately 50% wood pulp and approximately 50% carboxymethyl cellulose.

Further, the water-resistant ink or material that forms the image ormessage is formed of any printable or otherwise apply-able material thatwill remain upon dissolving of the substrate. It is important that theink be water resistant to resist water-in-ink emulsification (e.g. repelrather than absorb water). A non-limiting example of such awater-resistant ink includes an offset printing ink. A non-limitingexample of such an offset printing ink is the ink mixture formed fromthe following:

Substance CAS# Contents (%) Carbon Black 1333-86-4 10-30 Pigment blue147-14-8 0-6 Rosin modified phenolic 68512-70-9 20-40 resin Soybean oil8001-22-7 20-30 Mineral oil 8042-47-5 10-20 Polyethylene wax 9002-88-402.-10 

Thus, the invention is generally directed to a dissolving substrate(e.g., water soluble paper) with a water-resistant ink positionedthereon (e.g., printed thereon). The invention can be formed into avariety of products with a variety of uses.

As a non-limiting example and as depicted in FIG. 1A, the dissolvingsubstrate 100 can be shaped as a real or toy tea bag with thewater-resistant ink 102 positioned or otherwise printed thereon. Alsodepicted in FIG. 1A is a tea bag hang tag 104 that can be attached tothe substrate 100 using any suitable technique, such as a string beingheat sealed to the substrate 100.

In use, a child or user would position the tea bag in a cup of water, atwhich point it would dissolve. After the water-soluble paper dissolved,the water-resistant ink 104 (e.g., offset printing ink) would remain andfloat on the surface of the water to reveal the message that was printedon the side of the tea bag. The message can be any desired message,including text, symbols, or images, as desired and/or appropriate.

The water-resistant ink 104 could be clear or a color that is similar tothe water-soluble paper such that the message is difficult to see untilthe water-soluble paper dissolves. For example, the colors were reversedin FIG. 1B to illustrate that the colors of the water-resistant ink canbe clear or matched to the color of the substrate 100 as shown in FIG.1A. For further illustration, FIG. 2 depicts the substrate 100 as printsheets for forming the tea bag and upon which the water-resistant ink104 is printed.

In other aspects, the water-resistant ink 104 could be colored to bedissimilarly colored from the water-soluble paper. In yet anotheraspect, the ink may include thermal ink therein to change colors uponchanging temperatures due to the water.

Thus, a can be appreciated, there are a variety ofembodiments/applications in which the present invention can beimplemented. As a non-limiting example and as described herein, thesubstrate 100 can be shaped and formed to operate as a tea bag, either areal tea bag or toy tea bag. For example and as shown in FIG. 3, the teabag (as a toy) can be included in a playset that includes a variety ofplay toys.

In this non-limiting example, the playset includes a cup 300 in whichthe various toys can be packaged, such a doll 302, play creamer 304 withdoll accessories, a faux sugar packet 306 with doll accessories, a teabag 308 that holds other small toys 310, and a lid 312 that fits atopthe cup 300. In this aspect, the toy tea bag 308 is formed of thedissolving substrate 100 with the water-resistant ink 104 printedthereon. Thus, in this particular playset, a user can place the toy teabag 308 within water which will cause the substrate 100 to dissolve andreveal the small toys 310 and the remaining message formed of thewater-resistant ink. Therefore and as can be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, the invention as described herein has manyapplications in accordance with the scope of the present invention.

Finally, while this invention has been described in terms of severalembodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognizethat the invention may have other applications in other environments. Itshould be noted that many embodiments and implementations are possible.Further, the following claims are in no way intended to limit the scopeof the present invention to the specific embodiments described above. Inaddition, any recitation of “means for” is intended to evoke ameans-plus-function reading of an element and a claim, whereas, anyelements that do not specifically use the recitation “means for”, arenot intended to be read as means-plus-function elements, even if theclaim otherwise includes the word “means”. Further, while particularmethod steps have been recited in a particular order, the method stepsmay occur in any desired order and fall within the scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dissolving item, comprising: a dissolvingsubstrate, and a water-resistant ink formed upon the dissolvingsubstrate.
 2. The dissolving item as set forth in claim 1, wherein thedissolving substrate is a water-soluble paper.
 3. The dissolving item asset forth in claim 2, wherein the water-resistant ink is an offsetprinting ink that is printed upon the dissolving substrate.
 4. Thedissolving item as set forth in claim 3, wherein the dissolvingsubstrate is formed in the shape of a toy item
 5. The dissolving item asset forth in claim 4, wherein the toy item is shaped like a tea bag thatfurther comprises other toy items contained therein.
 6. The dissolvingitem as set forth in claim 5, wherein the dissolving substrate is awater-soluble paper formed of at least wood pulp and carboxy methylcellulose.
 7. The dissolving item as set forth in claim 6, wherein thedissolving substrate is a water-soluble paper formed of between 30% and70% wood pulp and between 30% and 70% carboxy methyl cellulose.
 8. Thedissolving item as set forth in claim 7, wherein the dissolvingsubstrate is a water-soluble paper formed of approximately 50% wood pulpand approximately 50% carboxy methyl cellulose.
 9. The dissolving itemas set forth in claim 8, wherein the water-resistant ink is formed ofcarbon black, a coloring pigment, a phenolic resin, one or more oils,and a wax.
 10. The dissolving item as set forth in claim 1, wherein thewater-resistant ink is an offset printing ink that is printed upon thedissolving substrate.
 11. The dissolving item as set forth in claim 1,wherein the dissolving substrate is formed in the shape of a toy item12. The dissolving item as set forth in claim 11, wherein the toy itemis shaped like a tea bag that further comprises other toy itemscontained therein.
 13. The dissolving item as set forth in claim 1,wherein the dissolving substrate is a water-soluble paper formed of atleast wood pulp and carboxy methyl cellulose.
 14. The dissolving item asset forth in claim 1, wherein the dissolving substrate is awater-soluble paper formed of between 30% and 70% wood pulp and between30% and 70% carboxy methyl cellulose.
 15. The dissolving item as setforth in claim 1, wherein the dissolving substrate is a water-solublepaper formed of approximately 50% wood pulp and approximately 50%carboxy methyl cellulose.
 16. The dissolving item as set forth in claim1, wherein the water-resistant ink is formed of carbon black, a coloringpigment, a phenolic resin, one or more oils, and a wax.